"The cold stone floor kissed us for far too long while the evil roamed in the surface, that was until he came; afraid, naive, young. At last, our effort wasn't in vain. Stumbling, but not in doubt, to reach and take hold of his destiny, as we revealed the truth and conveyed our duty. Now as one, rise!"
"First", Kendall said, "May I see it? The sword?". It was because of it that we came this far, "Of course", I replied, unsheathing the sword and placing it on his desk. "Oh, by the gods! It is!", Kendall gasped and brushed his fingers on the blade, "Just like that time… I can see it, the faint glow of the symbols". So he'd seen the Godsword. "Maester, you've seen it before? When?", I asked as Kendall inspected the blade, felt the handle and even sniff at it a bit, "Yes, it was back then, in Mön, your predecessor", he muttered. Predecessor? What was he talking about? I wanted to ask but Kendall suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! Yes, the book!", and opened the large book he had in front, pulling the magnifying glass down; which was attached to the desk itself, to read, and began scourging throught the pages, "It's been quite a long time since I've read this. By 'your predecessor', I'm referring to the one who wielded the sword before you", he added and stopped half-way throught the book, the other half seemed to be all blank pages, he then went some pages back, "Here".
"Sir Zebas Just, born in Prevelan of Pletonia in the year 1138", Kendall read, and that name, it felt too familiar, like a brother or cousin I've never met, then he continued, "As per request of his sanctity – The Holy King Fractus the II.I, Zebas Just, will inscribe upon this record, my development as the new holder of the Godsword". This text was somekind of diary? Kendall stole glances at the blade while he read, I could see the sword reacting to his words, the names, the place, the sword reacted with a slight red glow. Kendall then skipped a page, "Year 1167 - Noting the absence of a written record in months, I took the liberty of taking a day off and write something that's been constantly appearing. After I accepted to carry the sword, five years ago, the blade has been producing thoughts in my head, since day one I felt it – what some refer to the Calamity, it is like a constant unease feeling of despair, one that appears to be slowly approaching. From time to time, I go to the highest tower of the monastery and gaze northbound, straight at Mount Eclesius, especially in the sunset, and I see the sunlight producing the shadows of the trees, I see the snow, I see the clouds, but I don't see animals – Last year was the last time I saw a group of birds flying northbound, five years was the last time I saw a group flying southbound from the north.
I've heard the stories, I've heard of what few saw on the fallen kingdoms. What my predecessor spoke about before his death, the description he wrote on this same book years ago. There hasn't been a single person coming from the north in years. The city itself hasn't had any visitors from the north in, I think, eight or ten years. I gaze at Eclesius and wonder when, when will it come knocking at our doors."
"Scary…", Colt muttered and Kendall chuckled, "Yes, yes it is! That was, sadly, the last written entry from Sir Just", then he turned to me, "Tak, I don't know if you've seen any of them, your predecessors, in the visions the sword gives those that wield it. Sir Just was the fourth one, the one before you, you're the fifth". Fifth, so four before me have taken arms against the Calamity and failed… "Well, I knew that there were some before me, I've been wondering how they felt carrying this… this burden", I said. Kendall then asked, "Did you see him?", a question I replied with another question, "W-who?", and Kendall tapped the book, "Sir Just, you must have see him, well, maybe not alive but, you understand, no?".
I did, I quickly remembered the first time I saw the Godsword, it was in the Holy Crypt under the Monastery of Saint Mön. "I think I do. The sword, when I found it, was next to a death knight, a decapitated one. Could've been him?", I said and Kendall pondered, "Decapitated?… Mmm, interesting", and replied, "From what is known, yes, I'm positive those were the remains of Sir Just", he then scourged throught the pages once again, going to almost the beginning of the book. "Tak, this book was started by scholars from Mön, then it was given to the third wielder of the sword, Sir Luke Wyld, who made his duty to write as much knowledge of the sword as he could. The last pages written by Sir Wyld are pretty much unreadable, no matter how many scholars tried, those last parts appear to be gibberish from a broken man. Sir Wyld received the sword from a woman, who he guessed was the second wielder. He described their first encounter here". Kendall began to read, "It was but a menial afternoon, one where I performed my watch like I always did. My rounds were the usual for a cadet; the low parts, the east watchtower, the sanctified plaza, the northern wall. But that day I was set to guard the northern gate, it was winter so not much folk came throught that gate, and it was mostly a matter of enduring the cold, but that day was when me and Eric saw that woman. At first, we thought it was a bizarre animal, it slowly crawled from the hill at the feet of Mount Eclesius, down throught the path to the northern gate, we both remained calm until we began to hear her. By the gods, her screams… As she got closer I could see her pushing her body forward with her right arm, every single meter she made was accompanied by a blood curdling scream. Her screams attracted the attention of the watch atop the walls. Eric doubted about staying in his post, then her screams became second thought as she approached and we were able to devise her form better; she was mangled, she lacked her right arm and left leg, half her scalp was missing with the yellowish-white color of her skull replacing what should be long flowing hair, her skin had darkened spots and I could see a faint trail of blood behind her. My attention was with her, as I heard the sound of the gates opening and closing again, Eric had left his post and ran inside, the guards atop the walls had fleet while exclaiming prayers, they thought of that woman as a spawn of evil.
I'm am not to lie, I was afraid too, I was praying too, I was a young nineteen year old that hadn't seen the world beyond Mön, I had never seen someone so hurt before. I didn't think of fleeing, I saw her extreme effort of crawling the last fifty meters to the gate, and decided to cut short the distance by approaching her. It was awful, at close I could smell the iron of blood emanating from her torn body, her remaining leg was broken; bent backwards, and her nails were broken too – brown and red from crawling over the dirt, for gods know how many kilometers. I asked her who she was, where she was from, I wanted to tell her that everything would be alright, that I was going to seek for a healer and comeback, but she tightly held to my leg, then she reached upwards to grab my arms and stand up, grabbing my shoulder to be face to face. She didn't speak, she opened her mouth and I could see no tongue, no teeth. Her hazel eyes spoke of the fear and the pain, she leaned her head against my shoulder for support, reached to her back and unsheathed a great sword, which seemed to heavy but she held it strong with her remaining hand. I couldn't move, I didn't understand what was happening and I let her turn the blade towards me, I saw how she impaled my chest and an intense pain grew from it, I thought that I was about to die, that I had to fight back but as I gazed down at the sword I couldn't see no wound, instead, I saw the chest of this woman opening like the gates behind me, and a torrent of blood flushing down like a waterfall, painting my boots and the ground a deep crimson.
She began to fall and I grabbed the sword by its blade, that was when it hit me – the memories, feelings, thoughts and the power, all at once filling my body, it touched my soul. When I came back to my senses, I had a group of my peers surrounding us, I was still holding the blade, which was impaling my chest but, as I opened my palms, the blade fell without causing any harm. It was then when I knew that I had become something beyond a mere guard, and had a singular thought lingering – 'Destroy the Calamity'".
Each word Kendall read pushed a deep dread inside of me, It felt like my stomach was about to leave my body as I coughed more and more before vomiting on the floor. "Tak!", Colt jumped from his chair, "Oh my!", Kendall exclaimed. I couldn't stop, I emptied my gut on the stone floor; burning my throat, my eyes getting teary. It wasn't because of the description, but the fact that I saw everything in my head, not the full memories but snippets of images, and worse, feelings, his feelings- her feelings, it was awful. "I was afraid this could upset you, I'll stop immediately, please go sit over there", Kendall and Colt helped me to another, more comfortable chair. "Use this napkin", Kendall said and handed me a pretty embroiled napkin that I dirtied with puked stew from my chin.
"Maester", Colt said, "Sir Tak needs fluids, I've read that you have to replenish your fluids after vomiting. "You're right! I've got just the thing!", Kendall replied and went behind his desk, pulling a black bottle and filling a small glass, "Here", he handed me the cup. It smelled like liquor, a really good one, I gulped it down in one go, and it helped instantly, "Ah! That hit the spot", I burped and gave the empty glass back to a content Kendall, "I'm glad, that's from my special stash. I got more potent beverages, there's one in particular that can raise even the dead, hehe". My tongue was intrigued, I was keen on refilling my fluids with some more of the liquor but Colt complained, "Maester! H-how could you? You cannot refill fluids with alcohol! He needs water… or milk, or juice". I see that he is still stingy about my drinking, so I'll reassure him, "Colt, it's fine, I'm feeling better already". Kendall then saw me fit to continue with his reveal, "If you're feeling alright we should continue. But let's ignore the book for now, it might prove to be too much… I'll tell you how I met your predecessor. It was in the spring of the year of 1168, I was a young fifty-sixth year old and on my third pilgrimage to the Holy City. I was with a group of seven scholars, which I led as vice director of the church, we eight took the Path of Dorian; you surely know of it, we went from Ten Saints all the way to Mön, we crossed Olander, the Union, Pletonia, and the Divisor itself, we visited Portsen and Volk, and we stayed in Sonnda; your hometown, and in Sinder for a month before reaching the Holy City. The first two times I did my pilgrimage to Mön, I was still a scholar so I didn't have 'privilege' to visit the hidden monuments and see the artifacts, but as vice-director I was able to see everything, I remember using my title as much as I could to see and meet a lot of important clergymen. One important person was the head of the city watch, Sir Just, who welcomed me at the barracks and told me all about the Godsword… it was fascinating, he showed me the blade and I remember, vividly, the glowing symbols, he even showed me the 'callback ability', it was nothing short of exhilarating. Then he told me about the Calamity, and the deep and unsettling silence that permeated the north". Kendall stopped and went for the book again, he didn't read from it this time, he just showed it to me before letting it on his desk, "One of the scholars in my group stole this book before we left the city, who would've predicted that this would be the only one to leave that place".
Kendall pondered in silence, then he raised his gaze to me, "Tak", he said, his eyes in a serious stare, "You must also know who the first wielder was. He forged the sword and fought the Calamity before anyone else". The first? Between memories, or hallucinations, I think I saw something that could be linked to the first wielder, but if Kendall knew, then he could enlighten me, "Who was it?". Kendall smirked, "Oh, he's quite famous", and began to search throught a large bookshelf, "Where is it… where is it… oh!", he pulled a book; an unmistakable white cover, the black letters read 'Resolve of the Substance', I've read it before… not only me but every fucking person that ever got an education has read it. "OH! I remember now! That's the man who wrote the other book too! Tales of the Beyonder!", Colt jumped, and he and Kendall said the name at the same time, "Fritz Colverley!". I've heard his name before... w-why hearing it again was making me feel this way? Why do I feel this… this hate? I can see the sword's glow even brighter, "H-how do you know it's that guy and not some random tramp?", I questioned but Kendall replied with a confident tone, "It was confirmed by Sir Just, and in the book it was also confirmed by Sir Wyld. Furthermore, who else could managed to forged such powerful magical artifact? Only him, the master of alchemy himself".
Colverley… he's widely known as the 'master of alchemy'. Every sage, wizard, apprentice, maester, healer and scholar has read his works about understanding, what he called, the 'matter', he didn't just write 'Resolve of the Substance'; that one is like his masterpiece, but wrote about fifty others. I've read ten or more of his, only the narrative ones as his alchemy books were too 'dense' for me. "So he wasn't just an alchemist, right?", I said and Kendall nodded, "He wasn't. He was more, much more. I don't exactly know how he died, but I do know for certain that the Calamity was the cause. See, Mr. Colverley was born in Glevaria, and he lived in Kanzi at the time in which the Calamity manifested in the north for the first time. The Godsword was forged by him, that's undeniable, only a genius could create a weapon of that caliber. Also, the symbols you see on it's blade? Well, those are of Oorish origin, Colverley somehow managed to create a magical weapon with the Oorish methods". Oorish methods, huh… so what Zoul said was right, he mentioned the sword carrying the same magic as the Oorish ones, but that also might mean something else, "Maester", I asked, "Not long ago I- we, read about the War of Liberation, Saint Dorian and such, and we read about Dorian's flaming sword… the Godsword has a similar ability, a 'holy fire' that ignites the blade, could the Godsword actually be Dorian's?". Kendall replied with a loud laugh, "Hahahahaha, no, no, no, you're completely mistaken", and coughed before explaining, "Saint Dorian's 'flaming sword', was only one of many. Saint Dorian had an extended array of weaponry, which he used sparingly over his seventy years of life. That one, the flaming sword, is stored in Saint Dennis Church, in Frogeltander. The Godsword is something completely different, its design, its power, everything is different".
Ok, that solves that I guess. "Right, thanks. Didn't need to laugh though", I said, "Also, why were you so… cautious before, with that 'I'm not against your quest' and 'listen with an open heart', nothing you said was that bad". Kendall expression turned sour, "T-that's because there is another important matter we need to discuss". Kendall sighed, remaining silent for a few seconds, surely trying to find the words, then he began, "First, I would like to apologize, it must have been hard for you going this long on your own, with the burden of the Calamity in your mind and in your heart, going from place to place, meeting many that don't even know a single thing about that evil, finding yourself in front of rulers or leaders who also don't know about it… or actually feign not knowing", feign? What does he meant by that? More people know? I kept quiet and let Kendall continue, "Since the fall of Mön, every single ruler knows about the Calamity. It became worse after the First and Second Holy Campaign… it's not easy for any nation to hide the disappearances of a whole army, especially one as big as the holy one, once the Third Holy Campaign showed no results, and also produced the death of many important warriors of the faith, the rulers of the most important nations formed sort of an alliance". An alliance? Could be that one, the title of the duke, "The New Alliance…", I muttered and Kendall raised an eyebrow, "You know?", and I replied, "Yes, back at the royal estate, one of the duke's servants introduced him with the title 'leader of the New Alliance'". Kendall seemed to lament that, "Agh, I told him not to use that title…", then he continued to explain, "The New Alliance is a 'secret' one, or was until the duke decided to add it to his name… anyhow, those that know of the Calamity have agreed to not speak of it, akin to a pact of silence. They've decided this so not to create panic among the population, they think that the Calamity will force them to mobilize their whole kingdoms. Having to face an uncertain enemy. Others prefer not to speak of it out of superstition, thinking that naming that evil would cause it to move further south".
This was beyond ridiculous, "You're telling me they know and having unlimited resources, thousands of men and weaponry, even magic, they won't even help me get there?! It's unbelievable, they'll let the world die, ignore impending doom just to… what? Keep filling their bellies and pockets?!", I blurted and Kendall replied, "It is not like that, it's bigger", and I snapped, "Bigger than the fucking Calamity?!". The room went quiet, I expected Kendall to give up the talk but he nodded at my question, "Bigger". Kendall motioned me to sat back, "Tak", he said, "You don't understand, no, nobody actually knows. Y-you've been with the Oriental Express, no? The Escori have been mostly relieved from their military duties, that mercenary group began twenty years ago". He was making no sense, "What- why are you telling me this? Some foreign from the east have nothing to do with this matter", I shut him off but he didn't relent, "No, you don't understand, let me finish. The Escori have been relieved because the Kavan ended the war with Oor. Information from the east takes a long time to cross the Free Ocean, but every time it does it comes as worrying news. Oor ended its war fifty years ago, they were spared by the Kavan and now they took these years to rebuild themselves".
I know where this is going, "Don't tell me, don't fucking dare telling me that the kingdoms are paying more attention to a stupid fucking promise made by a knight, a promise made a thousand years ago mind you! More seriously than a real threat knocking on their doors!", and Kendall sighed, "But it is, it is. Fifteen years ago all the kingdoms got word that Oor had reestablished the Order of Knights. Five years ago more news arrived saying that they had eight knights already on their ranks… their power supposedly being surprisingly strong". I won't accept this, they don't understand, they- "Tak…", Kendall stood up and placed both hands on my shoulders, his eyes glossy, "I'm so sorry, but it is true. I'm sorry they haven't help you, but this out of the hands of people like us", he sniffed a bit, and sat back, "I spoke against this 'lay back approach' for a long time. They actually think that the Calamity might even work as a weapon against the Oorish… ha!". Unbelievable, how could they be so foolish. They haven't seen what I saw, what the Calamity does. "Doesn't make any sense, maester. Even if this 'order' is powerful, I'm sure it's not as what's been said in the holy scriptures or in the history books, they don't have an Immortal or his helm, they might have a group of eight, extremely good fighters, but I'm sure eight alone won't bring a continent to ruins", I blurted out and Kendall nodded slowly, "You might be right, they, thanks the gods, don't have anything close to the First Knight", but then explained, "But you are forgetting that the other knights, beside the First, all had the capacity to bring death and destruction. The First Knight himself wasn't only a helm, he had an arsenal of magical artifacts on him; his armor, his sword, his boots, his mittens and daggers. He had an array of powerful Oorish magical pendants and rings. Mind you that the other knights; 'the Scourge' or 'the Crusher', they all had magical weapons, and those weapons are still in Oorish hands. These weapons all infused with magic, the same as the Godsword", he turned to the sword on his desk, "Colverley was a genius not only because of his works on alchemy but because he finally managed to crack the secrets to Oorish magic, the only thing that the Empire of Oor has zealously protected for centuries, was the way to produce these types of weapons".
"Maester", Colt interrupted, "S-sorry but, I've read that the Oorish controlled the Levan for hundreds of years, h-how could they've kept something like this so well hidden?". Colt's question was interesting and Kendall turned to him with a warm smile, "You're a smart one, aren't you? Well, that's a topic many scholars have tried to answer for a long time. Are you familiar with the story of Dumas 'the Black'?", he asked Colt who shook his head, so he continued, "About two hundred years before the liberation of the continent, Dumas; the second son of the count of Colgard, became the favorite lover of the Oorish Emperor, Sexan the III. Dumas was an avid soldier from Xion and also a popular fighter in the many tournaments held in the continent, but there was a hidden fact that the Emperor didn't know, and that was that Dumas was also an agent of the Xionese Dan, who tasked him with finding out the key to forge magical weapons like the Oorish. Throught the many encounters Dumas and Sexan shared, he learned that the weapons were all forged by the Oorish royal family itself, and only fewer than ten individuals knew the secret, all of who had a powerful magical spell that made them forget the key if they ever wandered outside of Holgard". Colt eyes went a little wide, "That's why…", he muttered, "That's why, what?", I asked and he turned to me, "That's why, during the War of Liberation when Dorian put Ronalcom under siege, the First Knight murdered every single member of the royal family before leaving the defense of Holgard. He was trying to protect… or denied the resistance of learning the power of the Oorish".
"Okay… so what did Dumas do with that information?", I asked Kendall, who resumed, "Dumas planned, along with the Dan, to capture one of the twenty close members of the royal family. The problem was getting the right one. One night he kidnapped the cousin of the Emperor and brought him to the undergrounds of Holgard, where a Xionese rebellion group tortured him for days, but they were unable to retrieve any information. Once it was discovered that Dumas was involved with the kidnap, he fleet back to Xion and fought the Oorish in the Twelve Xionese Rebellion where he managed to kill the Fifteenth Knight of Oor, 'The Black', and took her moniker for himself, thus becoming a legend and the face of the rebellion, only to be captured a few years later and dismembered by the First Knight". Great, very uplifting story, but we better get back to what matters. "Let's get back to important matters", I said, "So, what should I do? You told me some of the members of the New Alliance prefer the Calamity to remain, will they stop me then?", a question that prompted Kendall out of his chair and to his desk, opening a drawer and producing a letter, he handed it to me, "Maester, the forwarding post has replied positively, by the grace of the gods we were able to finalized the observatory", it read, Kendall then explained, "The fact that some rulers won't act against the Calamity doesn't mean they'll try to stop you, or me. I form part of the New Alliance too, but my approach is different. I have many faithfuls in the north and they will be more than happy to help you reach your objective".
"Besides you, is there anyone else in Sallas that might help me?", I asked, Kendall thought for a bit but shook his head, "Sadly no, my faithfuls are spread thin throught different places; the Union, Pletonia, the Free Cities, even in Olander, but not in here. Sallas has become… quite hostile since the war ended". War? Huh… right, Father Bardion mentioned that the duchy was in a war, that was three years ago though. "War? W-with which other nation?", Colt questioned. "Not with another nation, uh… you don't know Tak?", Kendall said but continued as I didn't answer, "Well, three years ago Duke Mathias, may the gods have him in glory, died from natural causes. Thus leaving his two sons, Lorenz and Sommer. The path ahead was clear, Lorenz was meant to become the next duke but Count Grantz, and various barons from the northern parts of the duchy, conspired and convinced Sommer to go against this and follow throught with an attempt against his brother's life, he failed, so a war broke out. It didn't last long, once Grantz and the others managed to get most of the private army on Sommer's side, then it became clear who would stand triumphant, but Sommer is… a complicated person, and decided to execute his brother. Sallas has, somewhat, recovered from this but he remains unpopular, especially on the towns and cities whose counts weren't on his side during the war, he has put up high taxes on them as 'punishment'".
I've heard that name before, Duke Mathias Prost, it was during the Third Holy Campaign. That was when we were introduced to the private army of the duke of Sallas. I remember how much it was talked about as the amount of troops he sent was formidable and they performed excellent against the Calamity, but, naturally, they began to die facing the creatures, and the reinforcements were called back to Sallas before they could be of use. "Alright maester", I said, "Then we'll go straight north and out of Sallas, do you have something we can use to locate your faithfuls?", but Colt interjected, "Tak! Wait, we need to get Elb- I mean, Ernest first, we can't leave him in jail". Kendall raised an eyebrow, "You've got a friend in jail? Tell me who, I might be of help". I was grateful for Kendall's help, but we need to be careful as to not let him be discovered, "Yeah, his name is Ernest, he's a survivor from the cult of Delia, they have him imprisoned in a base, or house used by the guards in the outskirts of the capital. We were about to see if we could get him out when this man, General Görbchuff, took me to the royal estate to meet with the duke". Kendall got up from his seat and went to his desk, using the magnifying glass and a quill to write the name, "E-r-n-est… okay. I'll see what I can do", and went to us, "Also, did the duke ask you to do something for him?". His question caught me by surprise because it did happen, "Yes", I replied, "He asked me to join the 'Tournament of Peace', he told me to come to speak with you first before telling him my decision, which is obviously no, don't have time to perform for an audience". My words made Kendall gasp a bit, "Agh… that imbecile. I'm sorry Tak, but you'll have to play part in it".
"What?!", I blurted out, "Why? Not only I don't want to do it, but it's going to take place in a month! I don't have time for that, I must get north as fast as possible", and Kendall patted my shoulder, "I know, I know, but you're now… how could I put it… under Sommer's influence, he took an interest in you, you won't be able to go anywhere, he'll just sent the private army after you". I scoffed at what he said, "Pffft. Yes, they're strong, yes, they're hard to fight but you know I can do it with the Godsword", but Kendall retorted, "Yes, but think. You're now outside the influence of Roda, they cannot track you or get to you, don't make an enemy out of Sallas, they could follow you all the way to the Black Sea if needed. You might kill a hundred, a thousand but they won't relent, do you want that? Or you prefer to wait a bit and have a calm path north?". Ah.. fuck, he is right. Before, I did my best to avoid facing the authorities, I failed in the Confederation but it seemed I, somehow, was spared from it, now I don't have to worry about the adventurer's union, might as well keep it that way and avoid unnecessary problems. "Fine, but please do help us to get that guy out of jail". With that, I shook Kendall's hand in gratitude before recalling my sword, letting him see it fly from his desk to my hand, his face one of wonder and amazement. I hid Colt's head with his hood but before we could leave, Kendall held my wrist, "One last thing, Tak. Try to go along with anything Sommer ask you to do, he might… test you sometimes. Be strong".
Once outside the church, I was approached by two soldiers from the private army, "Sir Tak, your presence is requested by his highness". We couldn't even think of doing anything else, it seemed this fucking guy had put a leash on my neck. We were escorted back to the royal estate, where we met with the duke again, who was having a picnic. "Oh! Sir Tak, thank you for coming over so soon. I trust that you have your decision about your participation on the tournament, no?", Sommer asked. "Well, about that-", I was about to reply but he cut of my words, "Fantastic, It'll be great having you in it", he then clapped his hands, "Peter! Bring the captain!". From, I don't know where, the servants came and took every food item, plate and cutlery, and brought a chair for Sommer, then Peter arrived with the supposed captain, who was another member of the private army. "So, what information do we have, Captain?", Sommer asked and the captain saluted before speaking, "Your highness. The man in question was seen in Rosendald a day ago. We confirmed that it wast the same that escaped from the dungeon". Escaped? Were they talking about Elber? Sommer turned to me, "That man came with you, no? He was detained seven days ago, but escaped soon after. He was detained because my men didn't have concise information on him. So, I'll ask of you to tell me who this man is and why isn't he with you at the moment".
Fuck, do I tell him? Do I say that I was with one of the most wanted individuals in the continent? Agh… Maester Kendall told me not to cause any trouble, if Elber escaped and didn't come to us before, then… fuck him, but what about Colt? I don't want him to look down on me. From the corner of my eye I see Colt lowering his hood, "Your highness, h-he's a wanted man", he said and Sommer smirked, "Ah! I knew it. That's why my men couldn't identified him, he was in hiding… so tell me little thing, who is he?", and Colt replied, "H-he's Elber Pyke". Peter and the servants gasped, the captain froze in place and Sommer began to cough, seemingly choking, "P-Pyke?!", he managed to blurt out, "Here?! In my domains!?". Sommer coughed hard before spitting a piece of chicken he ate for picnic, "Ngh… so that's it… he's in Rosendald, he's going to the coast!", he rose his gaze to me, "You. Do you know where he's headed?". Without the pressure of covering for Elber, I replied immediately, "Ten Saints he said. That he has his second in command waiting for him there". Sommer smiled wide, "Good. Captain, gather twenty of your best men and prepare to leave", he ordered and then slowly turned to me, "You'll also be accompanied by Sir Tak of Sonnda". What?! No!, "B-but-", I tried to complain only to be met with an extremely serious expression from Sommer, "Sir Tak. You'll go with the soldiers of my private army to Ten Saints, you are personally tasked with bringing that scumbag's head here. Or are you refusing? Mind that you were the one to bring him across to my country".
Well, shit. "Yes… your highness", I replied under my breath. "Excellent! You'll do this and be back in time for the tournament. See? Everything's predestined by the gods for a reason. Farewell Sir Tak, I'll await fruitful results from your mission". Agh, fuck this guy. The captain approached me and led me outside the estate, then he left me to wait for the rest of his team. Shortly after, he arrived with four carriages and the twenty men. All of this was nothing more than another detour, a detour from my real objective now clearer thanks to the Maester. Couldn't even catch the name of the captain… or any other of the twenty soldiers, they all held a neutral expression. Colt remained glued to my side, he didn't dare to look up at the other men, "T-Tak… Sir, are you sure about this?", he whispered as we entered one of the carriages, "I… I don't know, Colt", I replied, "Honestly, since we sat foot in Sallas I feel like other people are making my decisions. Stick close, we'll pull throught and be back on our quest in no time". My own words felt shallow, a pity attempt at reassurance, the doors of the carriage closed with a loud thump and we immediately began to move fast, then faster and faster… the path throught the cobblestone streets caused a tremendous shake that sickened me, it wasn't until we left the capital that I felt better. We were sat on the corner, next to us there were four soldiers, in front we had seven, all of them in silence, some cleaning their blade, or praying with a Langedar in their hands, but none of them directed any words to us, they weren't curious about me having a kobold squire, or of my status as a foreign knight.
The high-speed pace of the carriage didn't relent one bit, I could see from the window that we were on the countryside already, and I knew that Ten Saints was a few hundred kilometers away from the capital. The scenery of the countryside was broken off by stretches of streets and towns, I thought, like a normal person would, that we would stop at some point, specially after five fucking hours of this, but no, the soldiers didn't appeared to be bothered, it's like they didn't piss or shit or eat or drink, they were strictly rigid. Not long after, the sun went down and I thought, again, that we would stop… well, two hours passed by and I began to realize that these fuckers, just to get quickly to Ten Saints, wouldn't stop. This wasn't only a matter of what these soldiers were made of, but what were the horses made of? An animal has to eat… maybe they had the horses trained to take a shit while speeding off? But they'll have to drink at some point? What is the-
A sudden stop pushed us against the wall of the carriage, the doors opened shortly after and the captain ordered us, in a quiet tone, almost like he was asking, "Only stop, two minutes". At his words I instantly stood up and ran outside, taking a deep breath before finding the nearest tree to piss, Colt did the same. From the corner of my eye I could see that only three soldiers appeared to be doing the same, the others remained in the carriages. The two minutes felt shorter when the captain signaled for us to go back, so we did. We spent the night inside the carriages, seemingly speeding throught the country towards the coast as we were woken up by the doors opening again. "We are at the destination. Everyone out. Sir Tak, you'll be with us", the captain said, and I could see that, after the blinding light of the morning sun hit my eyes, the shining sun rays glittering on the surface of the waves, we were in Ten Saints.